Severe & Hazardous Weather- part 1

Match the upper level chart to it's main uses for meteorological analysis.

700mb- reveals short wave disturbances 500mb- shows broad-scale upper-level 300mb- tracks jet streams and steering

Which constant pressure level map is most useful for identifying short and longwave ridges and troughs?

850 mb > 500 mb 200 mb 300 mb

If the air temperature is equal to the dewpoint temperature, what is the relative humidity?

> 100% There is not enough information to determine the relative humidity. 1 0%

If you want to figure out what the high temperature was today in Salt Lake City, what instrument would you use?

> ASOS/AWOS Radar Wind Profiler Rawinsonde

What are true about computer weather models and how they are used? Select all that are correct.

> They are atmospheric simulations done by a computer. They are only useful for short term forecasts. They are top secret and the general public cannot access them. > Supercomputers take in many many weather observations. They are 100% accurate. > They can be used for a long term forecast > They use mathematical and physical modeling of the atmosphere.

What is the relationship between carbon dioxide concentrations and Earth's temperature in paleoclimate records?

> They are directly related. When carbon dioxide is high, temperatures are high. They are not related at all. They are inversely related. When carbon dioxide is high, temperatures are low.

What are the observations that are recorded at a surface weather station, that you can look up on the internet? Select all that are correct.

> Wind speed and direction > Humidity (dewpoint or relative humidity) Radar > Temperature

Dew point is the temperature at which water vapor in the air begins to condense. The temperature inside a cloud would therefore be

> about equal to the dew point. way above the dew point. way below the dew point. below freezing.

If a volcanic eruption produces a climate impact that lasts for a year or longer, the most likely culprit is

> aerosols produced by sulfure dioxide emitted from the volcano. a high volume of debris ejected during the eruption. the state of the climate at the time of the eruption. ash suspended in the atmosphere.

Which of these clouds is least likely to produce precipitation that reaches the ground?

> cirrostratus cumulonimbus nimbostratus stratus

The conditions that persist along the West Coast of the U.S. that are conducive to fog formation are

> moist air moving over a cold surface. inversions and a warm land surface. steep lapse rate and a warm surface. dry air moving over a warm water surface.

The most common way for air to be cooled in order that a cloud may be formed is

> rising and expanding. sinking and contracting. emitting radiation. reflecting radiation.

Saturation vapor pressure is directly related to what other weather variable?

> temperature wind speed vapor pressure dewpoint

Which regions on Earth have displayed the greatest temperature change from 1961-2010?

> the northern high latitudes the oceans the mid latitudes the subtropics

The primary force which causes all winds is

> the pressure gradient force. the Coriolis effect. the inertia force. the frictional force.

Post-processing techniques such as Model Output Statistics (MOS) are useful because

> they can adjust for common model errors and can capture processes not included in the model. they can average many ensemble members into a consensus forecast. They can counteract the effect of errors in the initial conditions. They can be used to research small scale phenomena such as tornado formation.

Freezing rain (ice storm) or sleet occurs when

> upper air is warm and surface air is cold. upper air is cold and surface air is warm. both surface and upper air are cold. both surface and upper air are warm.

What are Milankovitch cycles?

> variations in earth's orbit around the sun when the sun emitted less energy the change in greenhouse gas concentrations since the industrial revolution periods when CO2 is released from oceans in large amounts

Why do ice crystals grow at the expense of water droplets in cold clouds?

>The saturation vapor pressure of ice is less than that of water. There are no cloud condensation nuclei present. Electrical effects limit condensation. Latent heat limits condensation.

Which of the following phase changes require energy to be released or extracted from the substance? Select all that are correct.

>freezing >deposition sublimation >condensation melting vaporization

What is a Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM)?

A TV meteorologist who works for the media. > A National Weather Service employee who connects the weather forecast office with the community. A person who sends out warnings about traffic delays. A meteorologist who logs observational data.

How does the current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere compare to concentrations in the past 800,000 years (from ice core data)?

About average for the last 800,000 years. Lower than any point in the last 800,000 years. > Higher than any point in the last 800,000 years.

Match the prefix used in identifying clouds to the height they are found.

Above 20,000 feet: cirro-/cirrus 6,500 to 20,000 feet: alto-

Why can't we improve weather forecast models by just increasing spatial and temporal resolution?

> Available computer power is limited and even current models have integrate hundreds of millions of pieces of information per time step. The models are already have sufficient resolution and increasing it will not improve the models. Humans could not interpret the data from such a high resolution model. Increasing resolution will actually decrease the accuracy of the models.

What is a lapse rate?

> Change in temperature divided by the change in height. Change in pressure divided by the change in height. An increase of temperature with height. A decrease of temperature with height.

What weather observations can you take without any technical equipment? Select all that are correct.

> Cloud movement > Cloud type > Precipitation type that is falling > Cloud cover Wind speed Temperature Dewpoint temperature

How do we know that the earth has warmed in the past 30-100 years? This includes both direct measurements and "indicators." Select all that are correct.

> Glaciers and ice caps around the world are melting. > Temperature sensors around the world show that the average global temperature has increased. > Cold snaps are shorter and milder. > Satellite data shows atmospheric, land, and ocean temperatures have warmed. > Snow and ice cover are decreasing in the Northern Hemisphere. > Plant and animal species are moving to different latitudes or elevations. > Heat waves are becoming more frequent.

What is a major factor in why there is a high amount of precipitation that falls near the equator?

> Intertropical Convergence Zone Frontal Cyclones Midlatitude Westerlies Cold ocean temperatures

How does atmospheric pressure change with altitude?

> It decreases rapidly near the surface and then more slowly near the top of the atmosphere. It decreases slowly near the surface and rapidly near the top of the atmosphere. It increases linearly. It decreases linearly.

What is included in the climate models used to predict future climate? Select all that are correct.

> Land-atmosphere dynamics. > Atmospheric physics. > Multiple future emissions scenarios. > Ocean-atmosphere dynamics. > Atmospheric chemistry.

Once a weather forecast is complete, how can they be communicated to the public? Select all that are correct.

> Mass media > Online on an official webpage > Social media > Word of mouth > Weather apps

What are the contributors to sea level rise? Select all that are correct.

> Melting of glaciers. > Ocean heat uptake and thermal expansion. High lightning rates. > Changes in water storage on land. > Reduction of ice sheets. Cosmic rays.

What are the three key messages from the IPCC Physical Science working group? Select all that are correct.

> Multiple lines of evidence show that the climate system is warming. > Current and future emissions of greenhouse gases will cause additional climate change that will continue for multiple centuries. There is nothing we can do to limit future climate change. > Observations and climate modeling shows that humans are influencing Earth's climate.

What is true about natural climate variations like El Nino and volcanic eruptions? Select all that are correct.

> Natural climate variations cannot explain the rise in temperatures over the past 100 years. > Years after a large volcanic eruption tend to be slightly cooler. > Years with El Nino tend to be slightly warmer. The warming over the last 30 years was caused by a long term El Nino.

What can explain the increase in precipitation along windward slopes in the Rocky Mountains?

> Orographic Uplift Intertropical Convergence Zone Cold ocean temperatures Tropical Easterlies

What is necessary for lightning to form? Select all that are correct.

> Rising and sinking air. Saharan dust. Stromatolites. > Ice particles. > Charge separation.

Imagine you are looking at a visible satellite image loop over Utah during winter. You notice some irregular shaped bright white objects in a few different location throughout the state. As the loop progresses you notice that these objects do not move. What do you think the objects most likely are?

> Snowpack in the mountains. Farmland. Very high cirrus clouds. Cumulus clouds over the mountains.

Which of the following are true about adiabatic process in the atmosphere? Select all that are correct.

> There is no exchange of heat. There is no condensation of water. >Temperature can rise or fall. >There is no exchange of matter (air).

If I look at a weather map for 20,000 feet and the isobars are closely packed together, indicating a strong pressure gradient force, I would expect

the winds to be coming from the west. winds that move directly toward low pressure. weak winds at that height. > strong winds at that height.

Which of the following relies on the fact that air in the atmosphere obeys a number of known physical principles that can be represented with equations and used to predict the weather?

trend forecasting > numerical weather prediction statistical forecasting persistence forecasting

Which of these pairs of processes, working together, will make the atmosphere the most unstable?

warm the surface and warm the air aloft. >warm the surface and cool the air aloft. cool the surface and cool the air aloft. cool the surface and warm the air aloft.

Which of the following are examples of positive climate feedbacks? Select all that are correct.

Aerosols cause a cooling effect. > As the oceans and atmosphere warms, there will be more water vapor in the atmosphere. Water vapor is a greenhouse gas, so the atmosphere warms more, leading to more water vapor being in the atmosphere. > As Earth warms polar snow and ice melt away. Darker colored land and oceans absorb more heat. Causing earth to become even warmer, leading to more snow and ice melt. The net climate forcing is positive.

The local time in Salt Lake City, UT is 9:00 am Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), 10 June 2016.

Answer 1: -7 hours + 1 hour (Daylight Saving Time Answer 2: 1500 UTC, 10 June 2016

Earth's early atmosphere was formed by volcanic eruptions . Eventually oxygen built up from prehistoric cyanobacteria called stromatolites .

Answer 1: volcanic eruptions Answer 2: stromatolites

Why do meteorologists convert station pressures to mean sea level pressure (MSLP)?

Because air pressure is measured only at sea level. You Answered Because pressure at the same elevation is always the same. > Because otherwise a surface pressure map would look much like a map of the topography. oxygen and carbon dioxide

Why does earth have seasons?

Because of the annual change in Earth's distance from the sun Because of greenhouse gasses > Because of the tilt of Earth's axis Because of the heat capacity of oceans

Which of the following is a measure of the parcel's positive buoyancy accumulated over its trajectory above the LFC?

CINH Index Lifted Index SWEAT Index > CAPE

What is the mission of the National Weather Service (NWS)?

Create TV broadcasts about breaking weather news. > Protect the lives and property of people in the United States, by issuing weather forecasts and warnings. Help private companies make money with weather data. Respond to the aftermath of weather disasters.

Which of the following best describes the Greenhouse Gas Effect?

Greenhouse gases trap heat at the surface. Solar radiation enters the atmosphere and bounces off the earth's surface. Greenhouse gases reflect this radiation back toward the surface. Greenhouse gases prevent warm air near the surface from traveling up toward space. > Solar radiation enters the atmosphere and is absorbed at the surface. Infrared radiation is emitted from the surface. Some is absorbed in the atmosphere by Greenhouse Gases, then re-emitted back toward the surface and up toward space.

What usually happens when cooling air reaches the dewpoint?

Hail will form immediately. > Water vapor in the air condenses into liquid drops and forms a cloud. No water vapor will be left in the air. The sky will clear and clouds will evaporate.

What is true of the mesosphere? Select all that are correct.

In this layer the solar wind is diverted by the solar wind. > Most meteors burn up in that layer. > It is where noctilucent clouds are found. > The air is extremely thin and humans could not survive without a space suit.

Match type of isoline to what meteorological value it represents.

Isobar: Line of equal pressure. Isoheight: Line of equal height. Isotherm: Line of equal temperature. Isotach: Line of equal wind speed.

What happens to air as it rises in the atmosphere?

It contracts and cools. It expands and warms. >It expands and cools. It contracts and warms.

If a cloud is dark gray on the infrared image but is bright white on the visible image, what can we infer about this cloud?

It is a very thin cloud. It is a high cloud. > It is a low cloud. We can't infer anything about the cloud.

Why is the predictability of weather limited, now and in the future?

It is not limited, someday we will be able to perfectly predict the weather. > We cannot perfectly measure the atmosphere and our equations simulating the atmosphere are also not perfect. Computer power is being used for other projects, and no longer for weather forecasting. The number of observations we collect are becoming fewer and fewer every year.

__________ is a variable atmospheric component that can exist in all three states (solid, liquid, and gas) at the temperatures and pressures that normally occur on Earth.

Methane Carbon dioxide > Water vapor Chlorine

What type of clouds tend to be formed when moist air flows over a cold surface?

Nimbus Cumuliform Cirrus > Stratiform

What is the advantage of making measurements of atmospheric properties simultaneously?

Numerical models require measurements over the entire earth at square mile resolution in order to work. Since then there is no need to convert between local and UTC time. > To examine weather systems and construct weather maps.

When does a rising or sinking parcel follow the wet (or saturated) adiabatic lapse rate (WALR)?

Only when it is raining. When the relative humidity is above 0%. When it is unsaturated. > When it is saturated.

When does a rising or sinking parcel follow the dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR)?

Only when the relative humidity it 0%. > When it is unsaturated. When it is saturated. Always.

What instrument would be best to use to determine the height of the bottom of a cloud layer (cloud base)?

Radar Wind Profiler > Rawinsonde Geostationary Satellite

Use the map above to answer the following questions. Find the station model for Wendover, NV (ENV). Match the value to the correct measured variable for ENV.

Temperature: 79 Dewpoint: 28 Wind Speed: 10

Which of the following conditions would be conditionally unstable?

The ELR cools faster than the DALR. The ELR cools slower than the WALR. > The ELR is in between the DALR and the WALR. The ELR is equal to the WALR.

Imagine a day in Salt Lake City where at 6am the Temperature is 42 degrees F and the Dewpoint Temperature is 34 degrees F. By 9am the Temperature is now 53 degrees F and the Dewpoint Temperature is 34 degrees F. Which of the following are true about how conditions have changed between 6am and 9am? Select all that are correct.

The amount of water vapor in the air has decreased. The relative humidity has stayed the same. The amount of water vapor in the air has increased. The relative humidity has increased. > The relative humidity has decreased. > The amount of water vapor in the air has stayed the same.

What is the main difference between what is measured by visible vs. infrared satellite instruments?

Visible is available at all hours of the day, while infrared is only measured every 6 hours. Infrared can only be used during daylight hours, while visible works to see clouds both day and night. Visible shows the clouds while infrared only shows human structures like buildings and roads. > Visible shows reflected visible light, while infrared is related to the temperature of the cloud tops or underlying surface.

When a parcel rises, how does its pressure, volume, and temperature change?

Volume decreases. >Pressure decreases. >Volume increases. >Temperature decreases. Temperature increases. Pressure increases.

What is the primary energy source for weather on our planet?

Water > The Sun Mountains Magma underground

Weather forecast accuracy has improved, but we can never predict the weather perfectly. Why is this? Select all that are correct.

Weather forecasting is less accurate than disease, economic, or sports prediction. > Human forecasters (meteorologists) are not perfect. > Weather forecast models are not perfect. > Chaos theory causes small errors to propogate and get bigger. > Weather observations are not perfect. The Europoean model does better for all storms and all events.

How is extrapolation used in a short term forecast?

You use satellite data to track a storm for 3 or 4 days and then project it's track for the next 3 or 4 days. You can take the temperatures at 6 am and noon and extrapolate to the temperature at 6pm. > Meteorologists track a storm as it moves and then use that direction and rate of motion to predict where the storm will be in the next few hours. You can observe the weather at one location, and can forecast that the weather will be the opposite on the other side of the planet.

Use the 300mb map above to answer the following questions. There is a trough centered along the west coast of the US. . The winds in Montana are from the southwest .

answer 1: along the west coast of the U.S. answer 2: southwest

Use the map above to answer the following questions. There is currently a cold front front extending from California to Montana. This front is moving in a southeasterly direction toward . The current sea level pressure in Salt Lake City is about mb.

answer 1: cold front answer 2: southeasterly answer 3: Utah answer 4: 1008

There are three main states of matter. The state of matter with the least amount of kinetic energy is solid , __________ has more kinetic energy, and ___________ has the most kinetic energy.

answer 1: solid answer 2: liquid answer 3: gas

The Coriolis effect is important for motions that

are very slow. > cover long distances. cover short distances. are at the equator.

On a "typical" day, when would you expect the relative humidity to be highest?

around noon around midnight around sunset > around sunrise

What direction to winds general rotate around a low pressure area in the northern hemisphere.

clockwise > counter clockwise

An ensemble forecast is produced by

combining the results from several different numerical models into one forecast. > running one model several times with slightly different initial conditions. collecting the professional opinions of a group of meteorologists. slightly altering the underlying assumptions of a numerical model each time it is run.

Essentially all important weather phenomena occur in the:

ionosphere heterosphere > troposphere stratosphere

Select the correct order of the atmospheric layers from bottom to top.

ionosphere, mesosphere, troposphere, thermosphere thermosphere, stratosphere, ionosphere, troposphere > troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere stratosphere, thermosphere, troposphere, mesosphere

Which two layers contain 99% of the air in our atmosphere?

mesosphere and thermosphere > troposphere and stratosphere troposphere and thermosphere stratosphere and mesosphere

What is the strongest gaseous contributor to the greenhouse effect?

methane nitrous oxide carbon dioxide > water vapor

What is one of the main causes for polar amplification?

ocean currents cease leading to worldwide ice cover northward shifting storm tracks leads to more snowfall at the poles and much thicker sea ice > ice melting leads to more absorption of solar radiation drier conditions in the midlatitudes over land makes the poles cool off faster

Jet streams are associated with fronts because of the

reduced friction below the front. clouds forming at that location. > large temperature gradient. higher pressure behind the front.

How much would a doubling of carbon dioxide from pre-industrial levels increase downward infrared radiation?

25 Watts per m squared 1 Watt per m squared > 4-5 Watts per m squared 2-3 Watts per m squared

If it is 1200 UTC, what time is it in Mountain Daylight Time (MDT)?

5 am > 6 am 8 am 7 am

The moist adiabatic rate is different from the dry adiabatic rate because:

> latent heat is released inside a parcel of rising saturated air. unsaturated air is always stable. an unstable air parcel expands more rapidly. saturated air is always unstable.

What important thing is deposited when Saharan dust is transported and falls on the oceans and the Amazon?

Ice crystals Carbon pollution > Essential nutrients Tree seeds

What are supercooled water droplets?

Ice particles that are below freezing. > Liquid water that is below 32 degrees F (0 degrees C). Liquid droplets that have evaporated.

Why do ice ages tend to be dustier?

Ice sheets allow dust to filter up through them All of the vegetation dies because it is too cold > There is more exposed land area due to lower sea levels The winds are much stronger

A constant pressure map does not show isobars, but shows these contours that convey the same information.

Isotachs that show wind speeds. Isodrosotherms which shows constant dewpoints. > Height contours indicating the height of the constant pressure surface above sea level. Isotherms that indicate changes in temperature.

Match the type of pressure system to it's description.

Low pressure system: counterclockwise rotating High pressure system: clockwise rotating system that

Match the type of observation to the time interval at which it is tyically collected.

METAR- hourly SYNOP- every 6 hours SPECI- as needed RAOB- once/ twice per day

Which layer contains the ozone layer AND why is the ozone layer important?

The thermosphere and it leads to global warming. Mesosphere and it breaks up meteorites. > Stratosphere and it absorbs harmful UV radiation. The troposphere and it reflects 90% of the sun's radiation.

How can fire come out of lake ice in Siberia? Select all that are correct.

The water in the ice has changes phase and is very warm. > Permafrost has high levels of organic material (dead plants) that can produce methane. > Permafrost is beginning to melt and slumping into lakes. > Bubbles of methane rise up through the lake waters and can be lit on fire.

What is the main reason mesoscale models are not very useful for operational forecasting?

They are based on different physics than operational models. They are unable to resolve small features such as thunderstorms. They do not incorporate real world data. > Their high resolution increases simulation time to much.

Why are greenhouse gases important for life to be able to live on earth?

They reflect most of the sun's energy away from Earth. They create clouds and wind. They make the ocean evaporate and it will eventually dry up. > They keep the Earth's temperature warmer than it otherwise would be.

What observation is most useful for tracking precipitation associated with strong storms like thunderstorms, winter storms, and hurricanes?

Visual Observations Surface Weather Stations Satellites > Radar

A cloud forms by deposition. Which of the following is true?

latent heat energy is absorbed > latent heat energy is released

The fraction of transmitted microwave energy that is scattered back to the radar antenna by the target provides meteorologists with data about

the speed of wind toward or away from the radar. > the intensity of precipitation. the altitude of the precipitation. the distance to precipitation.

Ozone is concentrated in the ____________.

thermosphere troposphere mesosphere > stratosphere

Match how the temperature of an air parcel and the environment are related in stable and unstable conditions.

unstable: the air parcel is warmer than the environment. The air parcel will rise. stable: The air parcel is colder than the environment. The air parcel will sink.